Gravity Falls Fanfic: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 7-Guilty as Charged

Forgive me-I have started school now and I am going to be very, very late with updates. I will try and write as much as I can on the weekends, but just bear with me and my spotty, month-long breaks. Thanks for all the support over the last few weeks, guys!

My hair, smooth and shiny, curled softly around my shoulders, framed my face. The color was no longer a ratty, washed-out orange. It was a dark auburn, not quite red, but not quite brown. It contrasted with my complexion, so I was no longer pallid white, but a delicate ivory. Of course, there was nothing changed about my face. The too-large hazel eyes were still bugging out at me, the thin lips and long nose stayed unchanged, but the new color and hairstyle seemed to soften things, align features.

"What did you do?" Mabel asked again, her voice quiet for once. It startled me so much I managed to wrench my eyes away from the mirror. Her face was serious, closed, drawn. It was jarring, actually. Her small features were more evident than ever, and her brown doe-eyes seemed to devour her face.

"I don't know," I lied. The weight of the comb seemed heavier against my chest.

Mabel's expression turned stony. "You obviously did something. You look-" she waved her hand in front of her face.

I sighed, fingering the lace of my hoodie. "If I tell you, you won't want to be friends with me anymore," I whispered.

"You can tell me anything. Seriously, anything. I've seen some pretty messed up stuff. I'm the last person who would judge you." Mabel looked away, down at her feet. Her voice dropped an octave. "I know you think I'm weird."

"No!" I lied immeditely. Guilt prickled my scalp.

"It's okay, really. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last." Mabel leaned against the wall, and Waddles shuffled and snorted beneath her, curling around her feet. "When I first got here, this girl named Pacifica used to make fun of me all the time. Just know I'm the last person who would judge you."

I nodded, my mouth pasty, tongue dry. It was really, really hard to talk when you had a lump in your throat the size of Antarctica. I thought about how nice Mabel had been to me, how she smiled all the time and supported her friends, even if their ideas were dumb. Guilty, I flicked me eyes away.

"I, um, I stole a hairbrush. And suddenly this happened." I pulled the hairbrush out from my hoodie, and presented it to Mabel.

"Woah, this looks old, Dorrie. Where did you find it?"

"The convenience store."

Mabel didn't reply, only turned the brush over and over in her hands. "We need to return this," she said at last. I let myself deflate-I didn't know I had been holding my breath.

"Of course. But first," I gave a small smile, "let's finish this tour."

-----

"And that's it!" Mabel said, waving her hands in a clumsy flourish. There was a clicking sound as Waddles rounded the corner into the living room. Mabel scooped him up and rubbed her face into his chubby neck. She put him down again, and Waddles sank into the carpet, an ugly mustard-yellow shag. We both laughed as he rolled around in it, then immediately stopped as we heard footsteps.

"Mabel, have you seen-" Dipper stopped short and did a double take. I felt myself heat up, and quickly flipped my hoodie over my head. "Woah. What happened?"

I traded a panicked glance with Mabel.

"We...had makeovers."

"Oh," Dipper mumbled, nodding his head at the perfectly acceptable answer. Then he blinked and leaned in a little closer to his twin sister. "Have you stopped using the glitter eyeshadow? Your makeover looks normal for once."

"Yeah," Mabel said nervously. "And my makeovers always look normal."

"Sure."

Mabel blew a raspberry at Dipper.

"Why are you here, doofus?" Mabel shouldered him.

"We need to go back into the forest."

Memories of dark shadows invaded my mind, and I felt a word bubble out of my mouth. "Why?"

"Because you left your glasses, and I left my book." Dipper looked away, eyes darkening. Mabel noticed his expression and frowned a little.

"I'm sure it's okay, Dip."

"I don't know."

Mabel patted his shoulder, then turned to me. "Come on, Dorrie. We're going to need your help."

"What is so special about this dumb book?" I said, a bit too loudly. Nervous fear started to claw at the walls of my heart at the thought of going back to the forest again.

"It has everything I need to know! Everything we need to know." Dipper said. "This book is the key to unlocking all the secrets this town has to offer. If it gets into the wrong hands, who knows what will happen?" Dipper's voice cracked at the end.

"There are no secrets here!" I exploded. "Gravity Falls is just a dumb little hick town that nobody cares about! It isn't even on a map, it's that small. And if you believe in this kind of stuff, you're...you're..."

"Crazy?" Dipper finished for me.

"Stupid?" Mabel interjected.

I set my mouth. Dipper and Mabel were standing side-by-side, eyes challenging me to say anything else. But I didn't, and the words that were so ready a moment ago were stuck in my throat like pebbles.

"I just can't believe it," I said softly. "Why are there giant cats? Why are there magical-"

"Dorrie," Mabel whispered. Her eyes were trained on my head.

"What?"

"Your hair. It turned gray."